CURRICULUM (18 hours required)
The Philosophy minor will provide students with skills that will enhance their performance whatever their major course of study and whatever their career aim. The hallmark of philosophy is the attempt to think with rigor and clarity about difficult and enduring questions: Who am I? What can I know? How should I act? In coming to understand and think philosophically about such questions, students develop the ability to think more clearly and deeply about any question. So, the study of philosophy, in itself often abstract and theoretical, pays dividends of the most practical sort, enabling the student to do whatever he or she chooses to do, better. Moreover, the philosophy minor gives the student’s academic record something distinctive which is attractive to potential employers.
To fulfill a minor in Philosophy, students must complete a minimum of 18 semester hours of coursework with at least 9 hours of upper-division coursework. Students will choose from among 8 upper division courses and 3 lower division courses to complete the 18 hours required for the minor in Philosophy. Pre-requisites for the upper division courses will be Critical Thinking 1101, English 1101 & 1102, and either Philosophy 2201, 2401, or 2601.
PHILOSOPHY MINOR PROGRAM REQUIREMENTS
Lower Division Requirements (Choose at least two from the following) 6-9 hours
PHIL 2201 - Introduction to World Philosophy ..................................................... 3 hours
PHIL 2401 - Introduction to Aesthetics ................................................................... 3 hours
PHIL 2601 – Ethics in Historical & Contemporary Perspective ........................... 3 hours
Upper Division Courses (Choose at least three from the following) 9-12 hours
PHIL 3200 – Ancient Philosophy ............................................................................. 3 hours
PHIL 3400 – Medieval Philosophy ............................................................................ 3 hours
PHIL 3600 - Modern Philosophy ............................................................................... 3 hours
PHIL 3800 - Contemporary Philosophy .................................................................... 3 hours
PHIL 4200 – Philosophy of World Religions............................................................. 3 hours
PHIL 4400 – Philosophy of Culture ........................................................................... 3 hours
PHIL 4600 – Logic & Philosophy ................................................................................ 3 hours
PHIL 4900 - Directed Study in Philosophy ................................................................ 3 hours
Total Program Requirements ...................................................................... 18 hours
COURSE DESCRIPTIONS
Philosophy 2201 - Introduction to World Philosophy (3-0-3)
An introduction to philosophy through the study of representative texts of major philosophers from Plato to the present, from East and West. Topics addressed include personal identity, the nature of knowledge, the existence of God, happiness, the nature of the external world, the relation of language to the world, meaning, and truth. Prerequisite(s): ENGL 1101 required; CRIT 1101 and ENGL 1102 recommended.
Philosophy 2401 - Introduction to Aesthetics (3-0-3)
An introduction to the philosophical questions "What do you mean?" and "How do you know?" in the realm of aesthetics, most particularly in the arts. Through readings and discussions of representative philosophical texts and with close attention to aesthetic objects themselves, questions such as the following will be examined: What is artistic expression? What do works of art mean? Is there a general definition of art? What makes a work of art good? Prerequisite(s): ENGL 1101 required; CRIT 1101 and ENGL 1102 recommended.
Philosophy 2601 - Ethics in Historical and Contemporary Perspective (3-0-3)
An examination of (1) the central questions of moral philosophy through the reading and discussion of representative texts of major philosophers and (2) the application of moral reasoning to contemporary ethical issues and problems in fields such as communications, medicine, business, and the environment. Topics addressed include the meaning of “good” and “bad,” right conduct, happiness and well-being, moral character, and justice. Prerequisite(s): ENGL 1102 (C) required; completion of CRIT 1101 and Area C recommended.
Philosophy 3200 – Ancient Philosophy (3-0-3)
The course studies philosophical literature of the eighth century B.C.E. through the third century C.E., including Pre-Socratic thought, Epicureanism, Stoicism, and Skepticism, with special emphasis on Socrates, Plato, and Aristotle. Prerequisite(s): ENGL 1102 (C) required; completion of CRIT 1101 and Area C recommended.
Philosophy 3400 – Medieval Philosophy (3-0-3)
The course studies philosophical literature of the third through fourteenth centuries C.E., including Porphyry, Boethius, Augustine, Anselm of Canterbury, Peter Abelard, Thomas Aquinas, Henry of Ghent, John Duns Scotus, William of Ockham, and John Buridan. Prerequisite(s): ENGL 1102 (C) required; completion of CRIT 1101 and Area C recommended.
Philosophy 3600 – Modern Philosophy (3-0-3)
The course studies philosophical literature of the 16th through the 18th centuries, through careful examination of, and critical engagement with, such figures as Hobbes, Descartes, Pascal, Locke, Leibniz, Spinoza, Berkeley, Hume, and Kant. Prerequisite(s): ENGL 1102 (C) required; completion of CRIT 1101 and Area C recommended.
Philosophy 3800 - Contemporary Philosophy (3-0-3)
An examination of works of major thinkers of the 20th century. Philosophers to be studied include Martin Heidegger, Jean-Paul Sartre, and Simone De Beauvoir, from Germany and France, and C.S. Peirce and John Dewey, from the United States.
Prerequisite(s): ENGL 1102 (C) required; completion of CRIT 1101 and Area C recommended.
Philosophy 3901 – Philosophy Internship (3-0-3)
This course is an experiential learning opportunity. The placement site (coordinated through the CCSU Office of Experiential Learning) will be an appropriate work environment, either on or off campus, and should be related to the student’s academic and or career interests. Course is repeatable, with permission, for up to a total of nine credit hours. Prerequisite(s): ENGL 1102 (C) required; completion of CRIT 1101 and Area C recommended.
Philosophy 4200 – Philosophy of World Religion (3-0-3)
The course studies world literature on the philosophy of religion. Topics include proofs of God’s existence, science and religion, the problem of evil, reason and religious experience, religious pluralism, free will, and life after death. Prerequisite(s): ENGL 1102 (C) required; completion of CRIT 1101 and Area C recommended.
Philosophy 4400 – Philosophy of Culture (3-0-3)
A topical or thematic approach to the study of the networks of relationship between philosophical ideas and the social structures in which those ideas arise and are interpreted, considering both historical and contemporary perspectives. Prerequisite(s): ENGL 1102 (C) required; completion of CRIT 1101 and Area C recommended.
Philosophy 4600 – Logic and Philosophy (3-0-3)
The course studies propositional and predicate logic against the backdrop of literature on the philosophy of logic. Prerequisite(s): ENGL 1102 (C) required; completion of CRIT 1101 and Area C recommended.
Philosophy 4800 – Senior Topics Seminar (3-0-3)
The course will study a major figure or movement from the history of philosophy in a seminar format. Possible figures and movements include, but are not limited to, Aristotle, Aquinas, Duns Scotus, Hume, Kant, Kierkegaard, Heidegger, Merleau-Ponty; possible movements include, but are not limited to, Idealism, Phenomenology, Existentialism, Eastern Philosophy. Prerequisite(s): ENGL 1102 (C) required; completion of CRIT 1101 and Area C recommended.
Philosophy 4900 - Directed Study in Philosophy (3-0-3)
The student, with the advice and permission of the directing professor, selects the topic and submits a prospectus for department approval before the semester in which the course is to be taken. Prerequisite(s): Departmental Approval.